Invective
by D-chan
Summary: Kingdom HeartsSailormoon :: Riku is sent on a mission to retrieve a princess. However, his mission is balked because of her... what made her so special? Or was it something else entirely?


**:: Invective ::**

_Kingdom Hearts/Sailormoon_

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts; all rights go to Squaresoft, Disney, and PlayStation. Neither do I own Sailormoon, which in turn belongs to Naoko Takeuchi.

Rating: PG

Pairings: strong hints of unrequited Riku+Sora, _depending on the way you interpret it_, also very, very mild hints of Sora+Kairi

Warnings: angst, mild violence, language

Notes: Yet another first-crossover-in-a-while fic.

I had planned on releasing this note with the SSO/SM fic once it was finished, but that has been put off indefinitely, so I'll have it here and there.

**WARNING:** This will be fairly long. I do recommend you read it, though, because I feel this is important.

As some of you may have noticed, my fic _Sailormoon Crossover: Revenge_ is no longer of fanfiction.net. It was reported as a non-fic, and so was deleted. I doubt the administrators really read it, otherwise they would have seen that there was a story; it was simply a somewhat biased prose pointing out obvious flaws in SMcrossover fanfiction _in the form of a story_.

I'm not surprised it happened, or furious that all that thought went to waste. I am furious, however, on account of false charges. As I said before, it was a story. I'm sorry it offended some of you, but maybe if you took a couple steps back and **truly** observed both my fic and your writing, you would realize that many of my points are valid.

Was I demanding you stop writing? No. Was I trying to discourage you from writing? That was not my intention. All I wanted to achieve with that fic was for authors to put more thought and creativity into their work.

I can't look back at any of my SMcrossovers without cringing. I can't even look at half of my _Megami Kouhosei_ fanfics without feeling stupid for ever writing such trite, pathetic prose. If I have any one fandom to be proud to be a part of, it would be the _Majutsushi Orphen_ fandom. It's small, has reasonable pairings, and is nicely balanced. It doesn't take a lot of digging there to find a good story, very much unlike the situation with SMcrossovers. I see some people writing several chapters in one day. Many of those are either barely a page long, or are several pages long without description and mostly dialogue.

When I read a story, I want something I can enjoy. Do you know what qualities a _true_ author and anime fan look for? Believable characterization (stop making Usagi secretly a genius or the strongest or what-the-hell-ever), realistic responses (Hiiro will _not_ fall for a girl -- or anyone -- so easily. That rarely, if ever, happens to even the sweetest of guys), spelling and grammar (get a beta-reader or spell-checker, preferably both), and a good plot. Don't know how to do it? Read some books. No, don't run off and read _Harry Potter_ again, go read something above elementary school level. Try some of Piers Anthony's books, or V.C. Andrews' stories, or something of Mercedes Lackey. If those are too difficult for you to read, then maybe you shouldn't be writing.

In short, please be mature about all of this. I'm trying to help, but it's going to be damn hard if people keep cramming their own beliefs down my throat while I'm in mid-sentence.

With that said and done, please enjoy my latest SMcrossover one-shot: _Invective._

_The Heartless obey me now, Sora. Now I have nothing to fear._

~ Riku

_Behind the darkness ≠ Door to the light_

~ Deep Dive (elongated Japanese Special Ending of _Kingdom Hearts_)

The land was rocky, but by no means barren. Obstructing the miles and miles of dull gray and white stone were magnificent walls, beautiful gardens, and a grand castle. A lone figure's shadow was thrown before him, stretching a good foot or so beyond his true height. There was no wind, yet jagged-cut silver hair swayed as thought caught in a continuous breeze. Eyes were bright, aqua, and piercing, almost glowing in reflection of the rock lands beneath his feet.

The setting was perfect for a medeival-fantasy moon kingdom-- and that was exactly what it was.

Riku was currently marveling at the apparent air in space. It defied all laws of God and man, though he supposed he could contribute his impossible survival thus far to Malecifent's spells. He was here for only one reason, otherwise he wouldn't have bothered.

Riku had come for the princess of this world.

He gazed down at the Oblivion, so very different from _his_. The weight was comfortably heavy, pleasant as he hefted it in his hand. He couldn't say it was rightfully his, but he would use it to its full extent. He was destined to be the Keyblade Master. He knew this; he had confirmed it so long ago.

That was why it confused and angered him that _he_ had gotten the best of him. Riku's grip on the hilt of the black weapon tightened, and he strode forward. He waved his hand dismissively, yet at the simple gesture a hoard of Heartless was at his beck and call. They didn't need to wait for orders; they were basically mindless, and had only one instinct: kill.

Riku knew he didn't enjoy this. True, the darkness didn't make him flinch, but it was also true he distrusted it. He distrusted Maleficent. But there was only one way to win back the adoration and attention he had lost. His competitive nature got the best of him, it seemed... or perhaps he simply let it.

It wasn't that Kairi wasn't important to him. She was. Sort of. She was more Sora's friend than his own -- more Sora's _crush_, he thought bitterly -- but he would never wish ill on her. And now she had lost her Heart.

_Sora_ wanted to get it back for her. _He_ was more intent on Kairi than he was concerned with Riku, who had been his best friend since they were small children. That was what was unfair. That was what hurt. That was what finally set off the burning fire in Riku's chest; flaming so hot and bright it constricted his breathing.

Because _it wasn't fair._

Riku closed his eyes, calming himself. _No matter,_ he thought. _Princess now, Sora later._ Even with that in mind, this was still competition. Riku would restore Kairi's Heart because this would make him the best once more. After all, was it not always the knight who saved the princess the one said princess fell in love with?

He felt another surge of emotion, this time not quite anger. Riku had to shake his head to rid his mind of such thoughts. Time was of the essence, and he was wasting it.

Though the Heartless had scattered, they had not done a thorough job-- they never did. Heartless were incompetent in Riku's mind, yet useful for distractions. Still, it irked him to meet someone so early on, barely a few yards within the gates.

It was a young woman, fair, with short blue hair and almost sad-looking blue eyes. Though young and scantily clothed -- she couldn't have been much older than him, and her outfit reminded him of one of Kairi's old one-piece bathing suits with a skirt attached -- he recognized her as a warrior.

Her eyes hardened upon seeing him. "Who--"

Riku, impatient and uncaring, delivered a mighty blow to her head with the flat end of his Keyblade. There was a sickening, dull _crack,_ and then the thud of a body falling to the ground. She was unconscious.

Riku felt a brief moment's compunction, almost stopping to see if there was blood, but he shoved that particular concern aside. She was not the princess; she was not important. She was expendable.

He continued on.

It wasn't long before a full-blown alert erupted through the kingdom. By then Riku was well within the castle walls. The odds were against him because the surroundings were so unfamiliar, but he was confident. Arrogant, even. He had the power of the Darkness on his side, and the Oblivion blade. He couldn't lose. It was that simple.

The bright reflection of white and gray moon rock helped him camouflage. It made his silver hair and bright eyes almost unnoticeable. Though his shirt was of bright yellow, Riku had the uncanny ability to keep himself hidden in the darkness. Was it the Darkness slowly consuming his heart, or because he wasn't afraid of it?

_Wasn't_ he afraid of it?

Riku shrugged it off. Such ponderings could be saved for later. He skittered through the lush rose gardens, eyes trained on the castle walls. He could hear the hacking and screaming of people fighting the Heartless. Riku paid it little mind. He harbored no care for the creatures responsible for consuming Kairi's Heart; right now they were _his_ tools, _his_ minions. Whether they lived or died, he cared not.

And then he found it. One side of the east end of the caste had ivy and vines creeping up the wall, obviously there both for false decoration and to be used as an escape route if need be.

With the Oblivion gripped tightly in one hand, Riku used the other to grasp a thick vine. He gave two vicious tugs to ensure its security, surprised when it snapped and fell to a ropelike heap at his feet.

_Interesting,_ he mused, trying another. That, too, snapped and fell to the ground.

The noise, naturally, attracted attention. Riku found himself faced with another female; she was dressed similarly to the last, albeit in bright, flaring oranges and yellows, her hair loose in the nonexistent breeze. She looked very similar to the princess -- Maleficent had sown him a brief holographic image -- but had a warrior's aura. This, he concluded, was one of the princess' guardians.

"Who are you?" she demanded. "Queen Serenity did not inform us of such visitors!"

"Naturally," Riku agreed coldly.

"Are you the one that brought those... those _creatures_?"

Ironically enough, Riku could appreciate her viewpoint. He was stronger than the Heartless, so that even without his control over them he had nothing to fear. He was as strong as Sora-- **_no_**. Sora was as strong as _him_. He had to view it that way, otherwise all competition, all his efforts, everything he had lived for -- the _person_ he had grown with and helped grow -- would be skewed permanently.

Riku experienced a familiar longing, one that wrenched the loneliest part of his heart. He simply wished for their days on Destiny Island to be back, back to when they had been children. He just couldn't make Sora _understand_...

He pulled himself from his inner dialogue, uttering a simple and cruel "Yes," in response to the young woman's earlier question. Then, without even a twitch of warning, he swept the Oblivion beneath her feet. Shocked and off her guard, two very critical mistakes, she landed hard on her backside, knocking the breath out of her. Riku moved swiftly, feeling no pity despite her feminity, and drove the hilt of his Keyblade into her gut. It was a brutal act, one that would have shocked and appalled Sora and Kairi. Sora would have been furious. That was what stayed him, and he drew back before he accidentally did anything fatal. She simply passed out, just as the other hand, long hair spread gracefully about her head.

Riku's hands were shaking; the Oblivion rattled in his hands. _That's not fair,_ he thought angrily, also furious and terrified at the sting in his eyes. _He left me first. _I'm_ the one no longer needed!_

Why, then, did his friends'; did Sora's; possible reaction strike such a deep chord within his soul?

No, he knew. Riku knew why.

_This is ridiculous,_ he told himself, his body finally relaxing. His mission was almost over-- and now he had a notion. Walking back to the ivy and vines, his bright aqua gaze grazed, almost immediately orienting on the thinnest, frailest, weakest looking vine there. He grasped and pulled-- and it stayed firm. Of course. An enchantment. Why help an enemy get up by growing simple, strong vines? All were pathetically weak, all but this one. No sane climber would think to look for the scrawniest available device.

If Riku hadn't grown up on Destiny Islands, he would have been faced with yet another dilemma. As it was, they hadn't always had ladders to climb to their favourite places. Ropes had sufficed, until Riku's parents had discovered what dangers their young boy was putting himself into. His father had then constructed ladders to Riku and Sora's higher playing areas. _"If you're going to break your neck, you might as well get up safely first,"_ his father had once said. At the time, young Riku had nodded his head in agreement. Only now did he understand the irony of the statement.

Before the ladders had been erected, however, there had been simple sturdy ropes. He still had rope burn scars on his hands, faded, covered by the no-write gloves he always wore. Mostly for fun and personal amusement, he had practiced climbing those ropes in various ways. Once he mastered one technique, he would move on to perfect another. He and Sora had even had competitions over it, another way for them to playfully try to best each other.

Put simply, Riku could climb it one-handed. He reassured the vine's strength and security then reached up and grasped the living rope firmly. He planted one foot on the wall, the Oblivion in his free hand, ready to strike when needed, and began his ascent.

It was a slow but sure process. His feet were used for climbing, and he had to release and grasp a higher point of the vine within a fraction of a second to keep upright. It had been a few years since he'd had to use such skills, but the instincts returned quickly.

Eventually he reached the balcony. Riku hoisted himself over the side, turned to enter the room...

And saw the subject of his mission only a few feet away from him.

The princess was sitting on her elegant bed, creasing the pink coverlet beneath her. Her knees were bent gracefully beneath her body, mostly hidden by the shimmering white nightdress she currently donned. Golden hair was spread about her, blue eyes wide, clear, and unafraid. She was even _smiling_.

He took this all in quickly, finding himself uncaring. Looks were unimportant. All that was important, all he ever looked for, was...

"You almost make this too easy, Princess," he declared, striding forward with long, confident steps.

She continued to smile. "I believe Fate is something you cannot change."

"And I believe that belief makes you an idiot."

"And you may very well be right," she agreed, fingers toying with silky strands of her ridiculously long hair. Riku paused at the foot of her bed, his gaze hard and unwavering. Yet he was uncertain, because she acted as though she had been _expecting_ his arrival.

Then he noted that one hand was cupped upside-down in her lap. A strange posture. His attention was diverted as she spoke. "Tell me, silver-haired knight... why do you unleash the Heartless amongst us?"

Riku frowned. "How did you know their name?"

Again she flashed that infuriatingly patient smile. "My fiancé is the Prince of Earth. He does not shield me from the truth as my mother does."

He rolled his eyes; her formal speech made her sound as though she really was from a time long ago. What a backwards era she had been borne into! "Well, you seem smart enough," he said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "What do you think?"

"Hmm... to distract the guards, I suppose." She sighed. "I do hope there are no fatalities..."

Riku decided against telling her otherwise. "This is ridiculous time-wasting. Come willingly, or I'll use force. It makes no difference to me."

Her delicate hand fluttered to the crevice of her breasts. "Why my heart?" she whispered, finally showing her fear for the first time Riku had seen her.

"You're a princess," he said simply, advancing ever so slowly. "With the heart I want."

She frowned. "You do not need it?"

Riku paused to consider before his aqua gaze hardened. "No, but I want it. The sooner I save her, the sooner I can prove that I'm the best."

Suddenly she appeared interested. Her balled fist clenched tighter, and Riku's eyes narrowed on her hands. She was definitely hiding something, but a strange force compelled him to meet her blue gaze as she inquired, "The best?"

It didn't feel like he was answering. It felt as though the words were slipping from him-- no, that they were being stolen from him, being revealed when he didn't want them to be. Yet he couldn't stop it. "We were always rivals, until he decided that _she_ was more important than _me_." How bitter and angry the words came out, how full of utter loathing. But was it loathing for himself or for the boy he so heatedly spoke of? No... "Until _she_ came, it was just us two. Then because his goddamn hormones decide to kick in, suddenly _I'm_ only second best. _I'm_ only there when she's not. _I'm_ not important enough!"

How long had that been bottled up? And why was he spilling it all to a complete stranger, of all the people?

The princess gave him a searching look. "You do not love her, nor even like her, yet you wish to save her?"

"I like her fine," he snapped. "I'm just irritated with her."

"But it is not her fault."

"I know that! It's _his_!"

"Then why not blame him?"

Riku clamped his mouth over the answer. This one went too deep, was too personal, that he refused to admit it even to himself at times. So he settled for glaring at her, knowing she understood.

The princess smiled, turning her hand over to reveal a bright crystal orb, just small enough to fit snuggly in her palm. "Maybe that confession would purify you."

Riku scowled, biting back a rude comment. He stared at her for a long moment, locked in a contest of wills, before he finally turned away.

He could hear her amused voice. "Will you not take my heart?"

He scoffed, closing his eyes. "It's worthless. I don't want it."

"Sometimes a knight prefers another knight... rather than a princess."

Riku said nothing, leaving only a trail of shadows in his wake as he left. Still her words stung and struck, and he bitterly wondered just how true those words were. After all, didn't _he_ want a princess, just like any knight in a dungeons-and-dragons story? Riku hated _him_ for being so typical, so predictable.

How long would it take now? To save Kairi... and to prove to him, Sora, that he was the best?

When he got back he knew Maleficent would be angry, furious even, but she would also wave it aside in a matter of moments. Both of them knew this little princess wasn't one of the Seven. However, Riku had taken up the opportunity to see if her Heart was of any value. And now he'd never know, because though he didn't want to admit it, her words had shaken him.

He nearly started when a gentle hand came to rest on his shoulder. On instinct, his hand came up to slap hers away, aqua eyes turning to glare in annoyance at the girl. She was smiling again, and he had the right of mind to give her a good whack with Oblivion and wipe it from her face in a bloody mess.

"Travel safely, brave knight."

Riku shook his head, not so much as a no as in exasperation. He fled the castle then, not noticing the route he took, not noticing the continuous fighting and screaming as people continued to fight the Heartless, and not noticing people targeting him.

He paused just outside the castle gates, panting softly as one arm stretched out before him. A swirling vortex of blue and black appeared before him, and he felt momentary relief and pain all at once.

_It isn't 'brave knight,'_ he thought as he stepped into the darkness that would inevitably eat away at his heart and soul. _More like... a puppet in the overall Darkness' show._

There just never seemed to be an end to the constant beating of his emotions.


End file.
